Bottle carrier



v .AOCUZ 1945. H. LEGGETT ETAL.

BOK'ITLE CARRIER Filed March 27, 1944 mm l .Wu f. e?

L J. 1mm 0M @u Haw Patented Oct. 2, 1945 y we? BOTTLE CARRIER HerbertLeggett and Zeno J; Pucci, Kansas City, Mo.; said Leggett assigner tosaid Pucci Application March 27, 1944, Serial No. 528,295

1 Claim.

Our invention relates to a` device whereby a plurality of bottles may besafely and conveniently carried without danger of breakage. It is notmeant to replace the usual crate, but to supplement and'extend theusefulness of the packing cases in common use.

One object of our invention is to utilize that space in crates above thepartitions to accommodate our bottle grouping devices, and facilitatethe removal of bottles from the crate in convenient numbers, ready andsecurely assembled for manual transport.

Another object of our invention is to provide means for clamping thebottles in position in the devices and holding them until manuallyreleased.

A furtherobject of the invention is to provide a quick-acting devicethat will snap into active position as the device is pushed down uponthe necks of bottles in crates.

Other objects will hereinafter appear, and in order that the inventionmay be fully understood. reference will now be had to the accompanyingdrawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the device, showing two of the clampingdevices arranged backto-back in order to permit simultaneous release` ofthe bottles by a single movement.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of. the device on line 2,-2 of Fig. 1,with the addition oftwo bottles.

Referring in detail to the different parts of the device, 2 designatesmeans comprising a supporting element preferably, although notnecessarily, of rectangular form and provided with rows of apertures 4spaced equally from opposite sides of the longitudinal axis of theelement.

Clamping means comprising a pair of members 6 are hingedly mounted uponthe element 2 between the longitudinal axis thereof and the apertures 4,as disclosed by the drawing. The hinges 8 may be of any appropriatetype. In the present instance a pair of staples are employed whichextend through openings I0 in the ends of the respective members 6 andare secured to the supporting element 2. The outer margins of theclamping members 6 overlap adjacent portions of the apertures 4 and havemarginal` recesses I2 registering with the apertures and conforning tothe circular necks A of the bottles B for engagement with portions ofthe necks, as disclosed by Fig. 2. Spring means preferably in the formof a coil spring I4 yieldably holds the clamping members 6 down upon thesupporting element 2, The coil spring I4 Vis mounted upon (Cl. 294-87) la U-member I6 secured to the supporting element 2 and arranged betweenthe clamping members 6. The ends of said spring I4 extend in oppositedirections to ,each other to press downward upon the respective clampingmembers 6, as shown by Fig. 1. f

A manually controlled member I8 is xed to each clamping member 6 wherebythe latter may be swung upward on the hinges 8, as indicated by thearrows, Fig. 1, to release their grip on the bottles.

In order that the device, when loaded with bottles. may be readilycarried by one hand, we have provided an appropriate handle 20 swiveledat its ends upon elements 22 secured to the supporting element 2 at apoint between the adjacent sides of the clamping members 6.

Suspended from the supporting element 2 by appropriate means, such astwo chains 24, is a spacing member 26 for cooperating with thesupporting element 2 and the clamping members 6 in holding the bottlessuspended in spaced relation to each other. Said spacing member 26 maybe of any appropriate form. Its function is to control the swing of thebottles below their point of support. It is obvious that the spacingmember 26 cannot function until the group of bottles is removedA fromthe crate and the chains 24 drop down into active position.

This device is best loaded simply by pushing it down over and around thenecks of standing bottles past the bulge C which is located just belowthe crown. After the bottle head rings have been passed through theapertures 4 as stated, they are rmly held in position by the clampingmembers 6, whichsnap into. place in ratchet fashion, permitting thebottles to swing downward from the supporting element 2 and the clampingmembers 6, in two-point semi-circular support for the head rings whichgives adequate suspension for the entire bottle mass.

When it is desired to release the bottles from the carrier, this may beaccomplished by resting the bottles upon a level support and pressingthe members I8 toward each other to swing the clamping members 6upwardly out of engagement with the bottle necks. The disengaged devicemay now be lifted from its burden, and used repeatedly.

From the foregoing description taken in con-V nection with the drawing,it is apparent that we have provided a new bottle carrierk possessingthe advantages above pointed out, and while we have-shown and describeda preferred embodiment of our invention we reserve all rights to videdwith openings equal in number to the apertures in the supportingelement, said openings being in axial alinement with the afore-mentionedapertures to receive and retain the bodies of the bottles in spacedrelation to each other, and exible means connecting the spacing memberto the supporting element so that the former may be placed against theunderside of the latter When not inuse.

:A HERBERT LEGGETT.

ZENO J. PUCCI.

